An intense lightning storm ushered in another bout of severe weather to Derby and surrounding areas Thursday, June 12. Concerns of a possible tornado had residents looking for shelter.

Around 8:25 p.m., National Weather Service doppler radar indicated  strong rotation over the city of Haysville moving east towards Derby. 

Moments later a trained weather spotter reported a brief touch down in the area of 71st  Street South and Hydraulic.

Tornado sirens were immediately sounded in order to alert citizens of Derby however, meteorologists say weather radios are one reliable way to stay aware of severe storms.
“The idea is – it can act as a smoke alarm for severe weather,” Ryan Cutter, a  National Weather Service meteorologist, said.

"It was pitch black and real quiet," Ray Rhodes, a Mulvane resident who works for the city of Derby as an environmental compliance officer, said. "And then police officers came screeching through the neighborhood and telling everybody through their  bullhorns to take shelter now.

"It got real scary, real quick.”

As the storm moved on to the east pea size hail and 40-mph winds also were reported in the area. Concerns soon turned to the issue of flash flooding after Derby received a total of four inches of rain.  

Emergency dispatchers in Derby indicated no reports of injuries or serious damage from the storm by late Thursday night. There were very few Westar customers who were without power in Derby.

The tornado warning for Sedgwick county expired at 9 p.m.Thursday, where Derby remained under a severe thunderstorm warning until 7 a.m. Friday.

The national weather service issued a flash flood warning for the Sedgwick county, and it was expected to remain in effect until late Friday afternoon.

Area emergency dispatchers reported high water at various intersections and the High Park area on east Madison.

Around Kansas

Funnel clouds were reported near Peabody in Marion County, and a funnel cloud near Burden in Cowley County stretched halfway to the ground.

Two people were struck by lightning and hospitalized in Rose Hill in Butler County.
Baseball-sized hail fell at South Haven in Sumner County. Egg-sized hail was reported near Rose Hill in Butler County.

A 75-mile-per-hour wind gust was recorded at Geuda Springs in Sumner County.

Wind damage was reported near Winfield in Cowley County, where there was roof damage on a home, damage to out-buildings, and damage to a camper and propane tank. Power lines were blown down near Caldwell, and a car was blown over at a gas station in Sumner County just north of the state line on the Kansas Turnpike. A semi was blown off the road near Arkansas City in Cowley County on Highway 77.

Flooding occurred near Augusta, Douglass, and near Rose Hill in Butler County, and near Derby in Sedgwick County.

In a 24-hour period, four-and-a-quarter inches of rain fell in south Wichita, near the 5900 block of S. Seneca. More than three inches of rain was recorded at Andover in Butler County, and southeast of Haysville in Sedgwick County.

A flood warning is in effect for the Walnut River at Winfield until Sunday night.

Contributing: Shana Gregory